A digger clears debris on Pakōwhai Road in Hastings after Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo: Antonio Della Barca
The taskforce set up to bridge the gap between local authorities, the government and the private sector in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle is being dismantled.
Responsibilities will be transferred to the Cyclone Recovery Unit, according to Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell.
Over the past year, the taskforce had worked on property categorisation, insurance and support packages.
Its members included Sir Brian Roche as chairperson, Bayden Barber, Adrian Littlewood, Katie Murray, Sir Selwyn Parata, Craig Renney, Anne Tolley and Leeann Watson.
Mitchell said the government had considered how the recovery structures had evolved, "and in particular the role of the Cyclone Recovery Unit to coordinate and prioritise the recovery programme".
Roche would remain an adviser to the minister, and continue to build on the taskforce's work to prepare for future disasters, as well as progressing the recovery from both the Auckland floods and Cyclone Gabrielle.
"The government is fully committed to the recovery, and we are working with local authorities to identify how we can make it go faster while consolidating the work within government to ensure efficiency," Mitchell said.
